By Miriam, Founder of Miriam's Collection
We are not ones to shout about what we do. But we do believe in being transparent about why we do it. And today we want to talk about something we are genuinely proud of: our formula.
Walk into any haircare aisle and you will see the same thing repeated everywhere. One trending ingredient in the name, on the front of the bottle, in the marketing. Rice water. Keratin. Rosemary. Whatever is having a moment. But turn the bottle around and look at the ingredients list, and that hero ingredient is often sitting somewhere near the bottom, present in a concentration so small it is unlikely to do very much at all.
We built Miriam's Collection differently. Every single ingredient in our Rice Water Shampoo was chosen for a specific reason, placed at a meaningful concentration, and we are so proud of them that we put exactly what each one does on the side of the box.
Here is what is in our formula and why it matters.
The Seven Hero Ingredients in Our Rice Water Shampoo
01. Rice Water (65%)
Rice water is not just in the name of our shampoo. It makes up 65% of the formula.
Rice water has been used as a hair care ritual for centuries, most famously by the Yao women of China who are known for having some of the longest, healthiest hair in the world. The science behind why it works is well established. Rice water is naturally rich in antioxidants, minerals including magnesium and zinc, and vitamins that repair and strengthen the hair strand from within. When applied topically it helps restore elasticity, reduce breakage and bring back natural shine.
At 65% of our formula, rice water is not a token addition. It is the foundation everything else is built on.
02. Hydrolyzed Keratin
Keratin is the protein your hair is made of. Every time you heat style, colour, or expose your hair to environmental damage, you deplete the keratin in the strand. This is what causes dryness, frizz and breakage over time.
Hydrolyzed keratin works by filling in the gaps in the hair strand and sealing the cuticle. When the cuticle is sealed, moisture stays in and frizz stays down. For curly and wavy hair it enhances the natural curl pattern. For straight hair it gives a sleeker, smoother finish. For everyone it makes the hair more resilient to further damage.
03. Rosemary Oil
Rosemary oil is one of the most clinically researched natural ingredients for hair loss. It works as a natural DHT blocker. DHT is the hormone most commonly linked to hair thinning and loss in both men and women. By reducing DHT activity at the scalp, rosemary oil helps reduce hair fall and create the conditions for healthy growth.
Several clinical studies have found rosemary oil to be comparable to minoxidil (a common pharmaceutical hair loss treatment) in supporting hair growth, without the side effects. It is one of the most powerful natural ingredients we could have chosen for anyone experiencing thinning or hair fall.
04. Caffeine
Caffeine does not just wake you up in the morning. Applied topically to the scalp it stimulates dormant hair follicles, encouraging them to enter the growth phase. It also helps extend the life of existing follicles, which is why it is frequently used in hair growth formulas.
Used in combination with rosemary oil, caffeine and rosemary create a dual approach to hair loss that targets both DHT reduction and follicle stimulation simultaneously.
05. Ginger Root Oil
One of the most underrated ingredients in our formula. Ginger root oil is a natural antiinflammatory that soothes dry, itchy and irritated scalps. It also regulates sebum production, which is the oil your scalp produces naturally. Too much sebum leaves hair looking greasy and flat. Too little leaves the scalp dry and flaky.
What makes ginger root particularly valuable is that it works for both extremes. Whether your scalp
tends to run oily or dry, ginger root helps bring it back into balance. It is also effective for conditions like scalp psoriasis and dandruff where inflammation is a contributing factor.
06. Biotin
Biotin, also known as Vitamin B7, plays an important role in the production of keratin. When hair has been damaged by heat styling, chemical processing or environmental stressors, biotin helps revitalise it from within. It strengthens the hair strand and restores the shine that damage strips away.
If you have noticed your hair looking dull or feeling weak and brittle, biotin is one of the most effective ingredients for addressing that at the level of the strand itself.
07. Amino Acid Cleansers
The cleanser in your shampoo matters enormously. Most shampoos use sulphates as their primary cleanser because they are cheap and effective at creating a rich lather. But sulphates are also highly stripping. They remove not just dirt and buildup but the natural oils and moisture your hair and scalp need to stay healthy.
Our shampoo uses amino acid based cleansers instead. Amino acids are among the gentlest cleansers available and are derived from natural sources. They clean thoroughly without stripping, which means your hair retains its natural moisture balance after every wash rather than being left dry and depleted. For anyone who has noticed their hair feeling worse after washing, switching to an amino acid cleanser is often the single most impactful change they can make.
What Most Other Shampoos Give You Instead
To understand why our formula is different, it helps to look at what most shampoos do instead.
The majority of shampoos lead with sulphates as their primary cleanser. Sodium Lauryl Sulphate and Sodium Laureth Sulphate are cheap, effective at lathering and widely used. But they strip moisture and natural oils with every wash, leaving hair progressively drier and more dependent on conditioners and styling products to compensate.
Most then add one or two beneficial ingredients, often at concentrations too low to make a meaningful difference, specifically so they can be featured on the front of the bottle. A shampoo that says "with keratin" or "with rosemary" does not tell you how much of that ingredient is present or where it sits on the ingredient list. If it is listed near the bottom, the concentration is likely negligible.
There is no growth support. No DHT blockers. No genuine scalp care. Just a cleanser with marketing.
We believe you should know what you are putting on your hair and why. And we believe that transparency is the best argument for our formula that we could make.
If you have been using the same shampoo for years without questioning whether it is actually doing anything for your hair beyond cleaning it, we hope this gives you something to think about. Your shampoo has the potential to do so much more.
The Bottom Line
We did not build our formula around trends. We built it around ingredients that work, at concentrations that make a difference, for a result you can actually see and feel.
Seven hero ingredients. One formula. For every hair type.
Rice Water Shampoo